Former Carroll football stars Quinn Ewers and R.J. Mickens are preparing to hear their names called this weekend at the 2025 NFL Draft.
Ewers, who announced earlier this year he would forego his final year of college eligibility and enter the draft, and Mickens, who graduated from Clemson and recently participated in the annual College All-Star Game, are expected to be selected in the Draft -- the league's annual three-day event that sees college players be selected by professional teams to begin their NFL career.
The details for this year's Draft:
- Thursday, April 24: Round 1, 7 p.m.
- Friday, April 25: Rounds 2-3, 6 p.m.
- Saturday, April 26: Rounds 4-7, 11 a.m.
The Draft is on NFL Network, NFL+, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes each day.
Following the Cotton Bowl, where Ewers's Longhorns lost to Ohio State, reports surfaced that Ewers would be a mid-round draft pick if he declared for the NFL. For comparison, quarterbacks Spencer Rattler and Jordan Travis were each drafted in the fifth round of the 2024 Draft and received four-year contracts worth $4.36 million and $4.27 million, respectively.
Mickens, who played wide receiver for Carroll and transitioned to defensive back at Clemson University, was a four-year player who could be a Day 2 or Day 3 draft pick. Mickens was lauded for his speed during the 40-yard dash at the 2025 NFL Combine, with NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah praising his time of 4.50 seconds. Mickens also ran the sprint again and finished with an official 40-yard dash time of 4.49 -- eighth fastest among all potential NFL safeties that ran the 40.